Gabriel Dike
The deposed Emir of Kano, Mallam Lamido Sanusi will on Thursday, March 26th chair the convocation lecture of the Lagos State University (LASU).
Addressing newsmen on the forthcoming convocation, LASU Vice-Chancellor, Prof Olarenwaju Fagbohun, disclosed that Mallam Sanusi was picked to chair the lecture before his removal by the Kano State Government.
Prof Fagbohun said the university is still hopeful that Mallam Sanusi will honour the invitation, adding ‘’convocation is a planned event. It was planned before the unfortunte happened”.
The VC told the newsmen that his removal as emir of Kano has not in any way reduced Sanusi’s intellectual richness, stating ‘’we are expecting him at the lecture’’.
Prof Fagbohun disclosed that the convocation lecture titled: “The Future of Developing Economics in a Digital World” will be delivered by Prof Benedict Oramah, President, African Export-Import Bank (Afrexibank).
Fagbohun explained that 8,959 will receive their degrees, diplomas and certificates at the 24th convocation ceremony. He disclosed that 6,485 bagged first degrees and diplomas while 2,620 will be conferred with higher degrees.
He said the university produced 76 First Class, out of the 8,959 students who will graduate at the convocation for the 2018/2019 academic session.
Of the 76 First Class graduates, the Faculty of Sciences recorded 24, followed by Faculty of Management Sciences with 17, Faculty of Social Sciences produced eight, School of Transport one, MBBS one, Faculty of Law two, Faculty of Education 12, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences one and Faculty of Engineering six.
His world: “I am proud to announce to you that 76 graduands will be awarded First Class honours in various faculties of the university. This is the highest in the history of the university”.
Fagbohun said the best graduating students for 2018/2019 academic session is Shotunde Oladimeji Idris from the Department of Business Administration, and he obtained 4.95 CGPA.
“This is a huge achievement and we are proud of him. It is instructive that Shotunde and another of his colleague, Kehinde Adebiyi, wrote a book titled “Nature Pays Diligence”.
He further gave a breakdown of previous First Class which are seven in 2016, 26 in 2017, 26 in 2018, 2019 recorded 57 and 2020 produced 76.
He told newsmen that the forthcoming convocation will hold between Friday, 20th to Friday, 27th March 2020 with a new innovation of having the ceremony in the morning and afternoon.
He also announced that LASU will confer honorary degrees on six prominent Nigeria. They are Senator Oluremi Tinubu, former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Mr. Aderemi Makanjuola, Justice Opeyemi Oke, former Chief of Lagos State, Oba Ayoola Otudeko and Mr. Segun Agbaje of GTB.
Prof Fagbohun explained that some streets, facilities, roads, and infrastructure will be named after former state governors, pro-chancellors and former Vice-chancellors on the campus.
The VC announced that LASU recorded full accreditation in all the programmes presented to the National Universities Commission (NUC) while new postgraduate programmes will be introduced.
He explained that the number of graduands is less than what is obtained in the past three years, ‘’because over the last four years, we have cleared a vast majority of outstanding results’’.
Said he: ‘’The era of students being unsure of their academic status or having to wait perpetually to be cleared after their programme is over for good in our university. This was a promise we made four years ago, and to the glory of God, we have fulfilled it’’.
